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Friday, February 19, 2016

"All the reach of heavenly art, all the pow'r of music bring."
Hymn: “Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above” – Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Common Tune: AMSTERDAM

Leave
it to Charles Wesley to write a hymnline like this one… nestled within
other great statements about who God is, what God does, and what God
deserves. THIS line deals with the latter.

I’m teaching
an Introduction to the Fine Arts class at Dallas Baptist University,
and I absolutely love where my semi-retirement has taken me: into a
college-level classroom on a Christian campus to talk about one of great
passions – art! One of the things I emphasize with these students is
that all art forms CAN be used to honor God. This hymnline supports that
argument – that all the farthest reaches of heaven-given artfulness (or
talent) can be called upon to praise the Lord who reigns above and keeps his court below.

My
students think I’m just way too passionate about the arts. At every
chapter, they hear me say, “Now this may be my favorite art form!” I AM
passionate about the arts because they are lasting examples of
creativity – God’s creative energy passing through the hearts, minds,
feet, hands and mouths of his created ones.

Music is a
powerful art. It is common to every race and every culture. Wesley
encourages us to apply that innate power of music to the unbridled
praise of God.

Today’s hymnline ends with the modifying phrase, “… the music of the heart.”
In order for music or any art form to be acceptable worship, it must
come from the innermost depth of who we are. It must be a sincere,
humble offertory. It must not be a self-aggrandizing display of one’s
talent.

Many of us enjoy and appreciate the arts.
Humanity's creative expression through the arts is one of the ways we
are made in the image of God. It behooves us then to offer them back to
God to honor him. I think he enjoys it when we do.

“All the reach of heavenly art, all the pow’r of music bring.” And I say, “Bring it on!”

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Hymn: “In Heavenly Love Abiding” – Anna L Waring
Various Tunes – most common in the U.S. is NYLAND

This is my wife Carlita's favorite hymn, and it opens with these phrases: In heavenly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear; For safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here.

It’s
a hymn about spiritual stability. When surrounded by and supported by
the deep, deep love of Jesus, no matter how many storms rage about us,
we have no reason to fear. There is a certain safety factor which is
unsurpassed by another other shelter in the time of storm.

Our
lives go through so many changes. Every paradigm seems to be shifting –
and some of those paradigms have been our way of life, way of worship,
way of doing things for all our years. But even when caught up in the
squall of constant adjustments, we can be confident that this love of
God has not and will not change… and neither will our relationship with
God.

We can abide confidently in him as he abides in
us… as branches – offshoots – of who God is, producing fruit in every
season, even the tempestuous ones.

Lots of public
buildings now have a sign on the outside that reads “Safety Zone.”
Those have been designated for people who are living their lives in fear
of someone who may want to do them harm. We all desire a place we can
count on – a hiding place. For those of us who seek him, God becomes for
us that kind of refuge… our safety zone.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it, and they are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)

Need a place to hide out for a while? Start running away from your troubles; run instead toward that strong tower.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

You
may not be familiar with the Schubert song “The Erl King” based on a
poem by Goethe. But for me, it’s an image that comes up when I read this
hymnline. The basic story is of a father racing through the woods on
horseback with his dying, hallucinating son; it’s more complicated than
that, but you can Google it and get the details! It’s not a Christian
story; rather it stems from German folklore.

Anyway,
as the shadows and darkness surround him, the boy keeps crying out, “My
father! My father!” The horse gallops, the darkness becomes greater, and
still the child begs his father to help him out of the agony of his
sickness.

There are times when we are surrounded by
great cloud of witnesses, and we are rejuvenated and empowered to face
whatever comes our way. At other times, we may find ourselves
encompassed by nothing but shadows and darkness trying their best it
seems to rob us of our joy, our calling, our mission… even our life. The
horse gallops, the darkness becomes greater.

But THIS
song (unlike the Schubert) reminds me that even the darkness cannot hide
God from view. See Psalm 139:12. Today’s hymnline tells me this about
my dark days: “Shadows around me, shadows above me never conceal my Savior and Guide (because) He is the light. In him is no darkness.”
I love it when kernels of truth and beauty are hidden in the middle of
these toe-tapping gospel songs that we sometimes set aside as “fluff.”

Having
one of those shadows-all-around-me kind of days… or weeks? Don’t let
the gloom obscure the face of your Savior who wants to carry you past
the dark vale into the light of a new, more productive day.

Friday, February 12, 2016

This
is sort of staple hymn for evangelical churches… those who sing
hymns-as-written and those who sing updated settings. That common usage
is probably attributable to the simplicity of the text… and the
different ways it approaches the subject of obedience that springs from
trust.

I have heard many say that this hymn’s title
pretty much sums up what becoming a follower of Jesus means: trust AND
obey. That all-important conjunction makes a huge difference. You’ve
probably seen those Ford commercials that spoof “bed or breakfast” and
“nuts or bolts.” In every case, the people involved say they prefer
“and”! It seems that is also what God prefers!

Today’s
hymnline indicates some of what is in store for those who obediently
trust God: on them God pours out his favor (approval) and a joy
available through no other source. That approval or endorsement of God
is high on most of our lists; we want to be pleasing in his sight – we
want to stand unashamed in his presence. We seek the joy that becomes
our strength, our undergirding, our overflowing fountain; we need look
no further than God in Christ Jesus.

As this hymnwriter
puts it, the favor and joy are not extended to those who are
distrustful and disobedient – but only those who trust and obey, who
walk with the Lord in the light of his Word. Available to all, but not
acknowledged by all.

Join the couples in those Ford commercials: trust AND obey is to be preferred over trust OR obey any day!

Thursday, February 11, 2016

I rarely use the first line of a hymn as the hymnline for the day, but today I am!

You
know the old jokes about how if when questioned in Sunday School, a
child doesn’t know the answer, it’s usually a pretty safe bet he/she can
reply, “Jesus” – and have a pretty good chance at being correct.

This hymn is basically a series of questions to which the answer IS “Jesus”! In fact, it’s “Jesus Christ, the crucified (One).”

Here are some of the questions:
- Do you ask what is the greatest thing I know?
- Do you wonder what delights and stirs me so deeply?
- What is the high reward I win by following this faithful path?
- Whose name do you think I glory in?
- What the strong foundation of my faith?
- What awakens my lips to sing?
- Who is the center of my life (life in life)?
- Who will ultimately be the death of death?
- On whose right will I be seated along with all the host of saints who have gone ahead of me into the glorious rest?

It’s
almost like a catechism. Questions are posed and correct, learned
answers are repeated. Quite honestly, for the true follower of Christ,
this IS the answer to all these questions. Fortunately, unlike the
formal catechism, the answers don’t change… only the questions do!

The final stanza is one long answer: This is that great thing I know! This delights and stirs me so: Faith in him who died to save, Him who triumphed o’er the grave: Jesus Christ, the Crucified!

Go
back and read through the list again, and see if you can honestly
answer “Jesus… the One who was crucified for me.” It might reveal an
area of your own faith walk that could use some work. I won’t ask which
ones YOU struggled over if you won’t ask ME!

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

On this Ash Wednesday, let's consider our proximity to the cross. this opening hymnline of one of my favorite Lenten hymns is all about that proximity to the cross. After answering the question “Are we there yet?”, we are drawn within “the shadow of a mighty rock” and “a home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way.”

We
often steer away from singing this hymn because in the original text
printed in most hymnals, the word “fain” is used instead of the word
“gladly.” When our mind has to stop and wonder what a word means, we
sometimes lose the thought that follows; therefore, I’m glad that some
song books and arrangements are using less archaic language to help us
‘get it’ without explanation!

I would have used the
word “proudly,” but pride is such a no-no in church-speak! However, we
should be proud to take our stand with Christ at the foot of his cross,
shouldn’t we?!

Taking our stand for Christ and with
Christ is vital for those of us who would be counted as one of His. Our
placement keeps people from second-guessing who we are and whose we are.
In today’s society, that establishment of our post is key to our
vitality as witnesses to “the very dying form of One who suffered there
for me.”

Looking for prime real estate in the Kingdom? Find it beneath the cross of Jesus.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The
title of this hymn (the first line) sends out a strong message about
the way Jesus came… and continues to enter… our struggling world: in a
kindness based out of love – an intense affection only possible through
the power of God at work in his life. We’re back to that image of the
Son of God gently making his entrance among his people. He did not barge
in and take over with fanfare or bombast. So far as we know from his
Word, everything about him was kind, intentional, filled with grace and
truth.

If we take him at his word (or Word), we find
him willing and able to redeem us. Questioning is not a bad thing; it is
in fact a healthy faith exercise. Doubt on the other hand… not so much.
The opposite of taking him at his word is doubting the core of his
message… disbelieving that he can work a miracle in our lives.

My
dad, Raymond, was known to be a man of his word. In my earliest years I
recall his making land deals and buying cars with a down-payment and a
handshake. He got burned a few times, but as far as I know, he never
went back on his word.

The Lord Christ was and is known
to be a man of his word. In our case, he has accepted our admission of
estrangement, and in place of a handshake has handed us forgiveness for
those actions and attitudes which have separated us from his holiness.
And the best news is that he does this for us every day: he has promised
to keep on forgiving us – we have his word on that.

Need
a lift? Yeah, me too. Let’s take him at his word, accept his loving,
kind forgiveness, and be elevated by tender hand from sinking sand. When
it’s all said and done, we can sing, “O praise his name! He lifted me.”

Monday, February 8, 2016

Let
me just say that I love this hymn. I think I would never tire of
singing it in worship. The sturdy 3/4 pulse and the powerful text always
resonates with me as the words trip over my lips! Within this hymn are
some great lines, but I’ve chosen this one to deal with today…
continuing in a way my unseen-partner theme from the last post!

This
hymnline always reminds me that God is no respecter of persons. He
makes the sun and rain to fall on the just and the unjust… the important
and the seemingly insignificant. He gives life to all despite their
‘place’ in the world order… the great and the small. Having always
considered myself on the of-lesser-importance end of the spectrum, this
hymnline inspires me!

During his earthly adventure,
Jesus found himself visited by lowly shepherds and by wealthy men from
the Far East; sitting with the highest officials in his religion,
lawyers, government officials; working in the lives of city leaders,
lepers and other outcasts; walking tall among the greatest people of his
day, and stooping to be on the level with the sinningest sinners;
standing in the Temple preaching and praying, and later letting children
sit in his lap. He was an enigma for sure – a conundrum for those who
tried to figure him out.

He still is a paradox. His
ways are still a mysterious “puzzlement” (to quote Yul Bryner). He is
still giving life to both ends of the social spectrum – giving breath to
all who require it to stay alive… and giving his redeeming Spirit to
those who wish to stay alive forever.

You know those
sticker things people put on the back window of their van to represent
the family inside? That pretty much says it all so far as who is
acceptable in God’s family! The next time you pull up behind one of
those sticker-clad SUV’s in traffic, be reminded that God gives life to
both great and small… even you!

Hymnlines - Hemlines: Get it?! :)

About Me

A native of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, went to high school with Dolly Parton... and am still friends with her sister Stella who was "most talented" with me in our graduating class of 1967! Was a Southern Baptist for most of my life,am currently affiliated with Cooperative Baptists. Have worked in Baptist and Presbyterian churches - basically consider myself a Baptiterian!

Love words (texts). Am a published hymn-writer, anthem-text writer and composer. Into live theater, museums and antique stores. Enjoy good movies and PBS dramas.

Married to Carlita - Two bonus sons: Dustin,and Clint and his wife Sherry with our two grandsons Kyle and Carson who just happen to live close by!